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Amazon and Walmart Fined for Selling Banned Refrigerant in WA
Amazon and Walmart were fined over $1.1 million for repeatedly selling banned refrigerants containing R-134a despite state warnings and compliance checks.
- Last Thursday, the Washington Department of Ecology issued penalties totaling over $1 million to Amazon and Walmart for selling motor vehicle air conditioning recharge cans containing prohibited refrigerant R-134a.
- In 2021, Washington Legislature passed restrictions on hydrofluorocarbons, synthetic gases trapping thousands of times more heat than carbon dioxide, aligning with over 170 countries committed to phasing out the substances.
- Ecology found Amazon sold 349 restricted units within five months in 2024 after failing a compliance check in April, while Walmart continued offering banned products as of January this year.
- Both retailers have 30 days to pay the fines or appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, concluding years of unsuccessful enforcement efforts by state regulators.
- "Phasing out hydrofluorocarbons is one of the most cost-effective actions we can take to address climate change," said Joel Creswell, manager for Ecology's Climate Pollution Reduction Program, though Amazon blamed algorithmic failures.
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17 Articles
Snoqualmie Valley Record+15 Reposted by 15 other sources
Amazon and Walmart fined for selling banned refrigerant in WA
Retail giants Amazon and Walmart are collectively facing over a million dollars in environmental fines from Washington state’s Department of Ecology for selling coolant products that contain potent greenhouse gases.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Center
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources are Center
86% Center
14%
C 86%
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